The notion of alternative bands paying homage to treacly pop acts can be traced to If I Were a Carpenter, a 1994 tribute to Karen and Richard Carpenter that attracted, among others, Sonic Youth and American Music Club. The concept resurfaced a decade later when the likes of Cake and Erlend Oye tipped their hats to ‘70s radio kings Bread. Now it’s John Denver’s turn. His unshakably earnest catalogue has drawn My Morning Jacket, Dave Matthews, and this Californian/Belgian duo, who have refashioned his signature ballad into something considerably more sprightly. (From The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver, out April 2, bit.ly/YtGDLK )

9. LOCKAH

“Let the Cool Air Breeze”

This is, we can safely say, the only track on the List that could conceivably appeal to fans of either Skrillex or David Lee Roth. In the process of unleashing what should be a summer staple, albeit six months too early, Aberdeen DJ Tom Banks has constructed a symphony of beats and ‘80s synths that seems perpetually on the verge of breaking into Van Halen’s “Jump” (bit.ly/8TNxel). Or Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” (bit.ly/at6yon). (bit.ly/11GqzOi )

8. HOLLY WILLIAMS

“Drinkin’”

That’s Williams as in Hank’s granddaughter, though the message behind this dark, affecting single — “Why are you drinkin’ like the night is young?” — could be seen as a reaction to her famous progeny’s lifestyle. In fact, the most useful reference point may be another soul-searching rumination on the vicissitudes of romantic love: Sheryl Crow’s “Strong Enough” (bit.ly/jsxufT). (From The Highway, bit.ly/11hMM4j )

7. GOLDEN CURTAIN

“Breathe Easy”

Because there are three of them and they hail from New Zealand, it’s awfully tempting to draw parallels to Crowded House. In truth, a more apt description would be part Wilco, part Coldplay. The former likely stems from frontman Andrew McKenzie, who was an integral part of a Wellington alt-country outfit, Grand Prix. The latter is largely attributable to the song’s secondary riff, which shows up about a minute from the end and recalls the one Coldplay borrowed from Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love” (bit.ly/EjKBT) and transplanted into “Talk” bit.ly/wXUn3). (From English Tuning, goldencurtain.bandcamp.com)

This characteristically odd cover of The Beatles hit was released this month on a USB drive packaged with an “anatomically correct chocolate heart” (bit.ly/WN8c2C). Shorn of the descending wah-wah-wah-wah-wah horn line and taken at a tempo more suited to a lullaby, it is every bit as eccentric as the container it came in. (From Songs of Love, bit.ly/XStCMW )

5. LONDON GRAMMAR

“Metal & Dust”/”Hey Now”

This seemingly attention-averse London trio has all of one single to its name, but it’s enough to push their upcoming debut full-length onto the radar. Initially, university friends Hannah Reid, Dot Major and Dan Rothman sound like they belong somewhere along the line that connects Beth Orton’s “Stolen Car” (bit.ly/huhhpv) to Everything But The Girl’s “Missing” (bit.ly/h853Z). By the time you get to Dot Major’s remix of “Hey Now,” however, that impression is clearly way too restrictive. (londongrammar.com)

4. PRIMAL SCREAM

“2013”

First things first: Even in a post-50 Shades of Grey world, the video for this preview of the band’s first album in five years is unsettling: though the action is often implied rather than depicted, scenes involving everything from bondage to, how shall we put it, sewing with butterflies are a potent reminder of how transgressive these guys used to be. As for the song itself, it’s simultaneously airy and ominous and vaguely reminiscent of Roxy Music, another band with the capacity to make an open field seem like the most oppressive scene in the world. (From More Light, out May 6, primalscream.net)

3. WOODKID

“I Love You”

Best known as the director of videos by Drake & Rihanna (“Take Care”), Katy Perry (“Teenage Dream”) and Lana Del Rey (“Blue Jeans”), Yoann Lemoine has a parallel, if much lower profile, career as a singer-songwriter. After a couple of EPs and a clutch of singles, he seems primed to redress that imbalance. Less extravagant than his visual work, this is an aggressively orchestrated yet uptempo ode to unrequited love. It may not end up being his breakthrough, but it should be enough to get your attention. (bit.ly/11JN67c )

2. ICEAGE

“Ecstasy”

The opening salvo on the follow-up to one of the most acclaimed debut albums you’ve probably never heard of (bit.ly/SS4g4q) — understandable, perhaps, since it was made by four teens from Copenhagen — “Ecstasy” is the kind of punk song that would seem to defy the tenets of the genre: Dense, expansive and downright wordy—“A hazy focus blurs and sharpens my sight/Now my senses are leading me/A mere blow of wind could turn me into light” — it leaves behind the taut, Joy Division-inspired sound of its predecessor while wisely retaining its spirit. (From You’re Nothing, bit.ly/Wp5oIM ; lyrics: bit.ly/Y6kSmv )

1. VONDELPARK

“Dracula (Happa Remix)”

This isn’t so much about the on-the-verge London trio behind the languid original version of this song (vondelparkmusic.com) as it is about the 15-year-old whiz kid from Leeds who has executed the young year’s most radical remix (soundcloud.com/halfapersianprinceand ). Transformed from a foggy ballad into a dramatic, cut-up suite, “Dracula” is redefined by an affinity for abrupt tempo changes and a distinctive, oddly hollow thump. Watch for Vondelpark, but remember Happa. (Original version from Seabed, out April 2.)

Apart from making us wish The Tragically Hip would make an unplugged album, this seemingly artless video embodies the artful style that has unfolded on the Southern Souls website. Rutledge puts across this song with only an acoustic guitar and harmonica, but the key is what’s been taken away. While The Hip’s version (bit.ly/7bCix) builds to a peak after the line “off the coast of France,” Rutledge simply dispenses with the release. He just leaves you trapped on the sinking ship or “thrashing madly” in the cold water, while he sits in a chair in the middle of an otherwise empty room, illuminated by the light from a single window. (southernsouls.ca/justin-rutledge )

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